Border

Sweden has tightened border controls as they have taken an proportionally high amount of refugees compared to other EU countries. Now they are going to tighten border controls temporarily.

Under the usual Swedish immigration policy all of the people who are granted asylum are given permanent residency. Now temporary residence permits will be given to only the minimum number of refugees that Sweden is obliged to help under EU and UN conventions.

Also there will be strict ID checks in and out of Sweden. I guess it will harder to enter the country by train. Hyllie is the first train stop after Copenhagen over the bridge that spans the waters between Denmark and Sweden, and that is how we typically enter the country from Kastrup Airport. Here's a picture showing the first ever train check!

Per Reuters: "Until Thursday, the half-hour ride over the Oresund Bridge separating Denmark and Sweden had no checks, under the European union's border-free Schengen agreement."

Some say that this is an end to an ongoing open policy but I remember having border controls when we ferried across the Oresund channel instead taking the train. They would check our passport and our luggage. Personally I thought it seemed pretty naïve to take all the controls away, allowing drugs, prostitution and guns to flow into the country more easily, but that was EU's agreement.

I don't believe that bringing back temporary border control is necessarily bad, we just don't want to ostracize the refugees who are entitled to enter. The way Sweden is coaching this is "migration control" allowing us to provide for the refugees with beds and other necessities.

Sweden has been very generous taking in more Syrian refugees per population than any other country in Europe. Now it might be time for others to step up to the plate. What do you think?